


Sea(love in)food

by xxstk122



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Chicken is life, First Date, Fluff, Jooheon was mentioned lmao, M/M, Seafood Allergy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 12:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18052685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxstk122/pseuds/xxstk122
Summary: will Yoo Kihyun overcome his allergies with the power of love and determination?!





	Sea(love in)food

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by when Nunu said he wants to eat seafood with Kihyun if he changes his mind about it even in their 30s or 40s uwu

 “Aww. You bought shrimps for me” Hyungwon comes into the kitchen with Kihyun unloading from his recent grocery trip

“It’s not for you” Kihyun says as he continues to put out the various amount of seafood on the table

“What the hell do you mean it’s not for me? I’m the only one in this dorm who _CAN_ eat seafood. Are you gonna cook for some charity or something?”

Kihyun opens the freezer of their beaten up old fridge and puts his grocery in there.

“It’s for me” His voice doesn’t even falter.

Hyungwon feels like his jaw has fallen on the floor “You’re allergic to seafood??????”

Kihyun takes a deep sigh “Yes, yes I am”

“Then wha-?? Have you lost your mind?!” Hyungwon screams

“No! I just.. I’m curious, okay? I’ve always wanted to know what they taste like” Kihyun was lying

“You’re lying. We’ve been dorm mates for 2 whole years now and I know you, Yoo Kihyun, you wouldn’t eat seafood even if I gave you 5 dollars for it” The taller crossed his arm and leaned on the wall, waiting for his friend’s explanation but sadly he doesn’t get one.

 

“So?” Hyungwon tries again

“So what?” Kihyun says with a straight face

“So why are you suddenly interested in seafood huh?” Hyungwon stares into the smaller’s eyes and Kihyun looks down on the floor trying to avoid his gaze.

“I-it’s nothing. I’m really just-” he tried to lie, yet again but Hyungwon knows better

“Holy shit!” Hyungwon was full on laughing now, he had tears in his eyes

“What?! What’s so funny?!” Kihyun’s ears were red now, he knows he’s been caught but he tried to get out of it. Key word: “tried”

Hyungwon was still laughing straight.. for a full on minute now. Well technically he was wheezing more than laughing now. Kihyun tries to get out of the kitchen but Hyungwon stops him with a hand on his shoulder, still trying to recover from laughing.

 

“Shownu-hyung?” Hyungwon says and Kihyun’s whole face just goes red.

“I KNEW IT!! You wanna eat seafood because of what Shownu-hyung said at dinner! Oh my god I can’t- Yoo Kihyun you are WHIPPED!” Hyungwon is now on the ground laughing while wiping his tears.

 

* * *

 

“Here are your orders~” the waitress says to them as she places their food on the table in front of 4 hungry boys.

“Woohoo! Finally! I’m starving!” Jooheon exclaims as he starts to dig in.

Hyungwon, Shownu and Kihyun does the same.

They talk about random stuff here and there, typical college sharing stories. Jokes around how terrible of a roommate each are.

Shownu notices something though in the middle of their meal.

“Kihyun-ah, chicken? Again?” Shownu inquires

“Yes. They’re my favorite” Kihyun says as he continues to eat his chicken with a smile on his face.

“Didn’t you have chicken last time?” Shownu was really curious at this point. Every time the four of them ate together, Kihyun always ordered chicken.

“Oh even at the dorm he eats chicken, but he does eat pork or beef from time to time but yeah, rarely” Hyungwon explains

“Beef and pork? No seafood?” Shownu lifts his chopsticks with his slice of fish that he ordered that night.

“I don’t like seafood” Kihyun answers nonchalantly

“Kihyun-ah” Shownu calls his name to catch his attention.

It was a small thing, but Kihyun's heart jumped at this a bit.

He always had a little crush on the older. He tried so hard to not make it obvious but he can already feel Hyungwon smirking at him.

“There are a lot of nutrients in seafood that you don’t get in chicken, pork or beef. It’s a shame you don’t like it. You should still try though. I know this amazing place that cooks the best seafood around here, we should go there and you should try it. You’ll love it. I promise!” Shownu says it so enthusiastically and he’s just so so cute. Kihyun can’t say no. He just nods and replies with an "okay" while trying to avoid the older’s gaze.

“Great! Next week then! I’ll teach you how to enjoy seafood deliciously” Shownu replies and Kihyun just thanks the gods that both Shownu and Jooheon are ridiculously oblivious about his feelings but he won’t hear the end of this when he and Hyungwon get back at the dorms.

 

* * *

 

“Are you done laughing at me now?” Kihyun has a dead look in his eyes while watching Hyungwon trying to recover himself.

“Ah god, I haven’t had a laugh like this in a while” Hyungwon now stands up and leans on the table with both hands on it.

“I read somewhere that you can.. uh.. lessen allergy effects or completely diminish it when you’re body gets used to it. Like when you eat it from time to time. Something like that” Kihyun explains

“So.. you’re going to die.. just to have a dinner date with Shownu-hyung?” Hyungwon raises his eyebrows

“NO! I am not gonna die BUT you will if you don’t shut up” Kihyun crossed his arms and put his “threatening face” on

“Where did you even read this?”

“On the internet”

“Not everything on the internet is true”

“I know! But just.. I just wanna try okay. Shownu-hyung is going out of his way for me. For the first time, Hyungwon! You know how much I like him and-”

“Okay okay. Shush. I get it now. You’re face is so red oh my god it’s like you’re having a fever” Hyungwon waves a dismissive hand “Why buy seafood though? You could just buy it and eat it. That’s much simpler and easier”

“Uhh..” Kihyun starts to fidget with his hands “I wanna learn how to cook it too.. since h-he likes it so much”

“Yoo Kihyun, the man that is whipped. WHIPPED I TELL YOU!” Hyungwon exclaims loudly

Kihyun buries his face in his hands “I know! I know oh god I’m such a fool!”

Hyungwon sighs and says “Fine. I’ll help you”

“Help me?” Kihyun looks up to Hyungwon curiously

“I will taste the food for you, duh. Who other then me to help you? As a seafood lover, especially shrimps, I should be obligated to help you” Hyungwon smirks

“Plus. I think you’ll need me around to drive you to the hospital when your allergies attack you when you try this whole.. experiment thing to make it go away” Hyungwon adds on

“But you can’t tell anyone else okay! No one!” Kihyun loudly warns his roommate.

“Yeah yeah whatever. Just have your meds prepared, I can’t let you die on me”

 

* * *

 

Day 1

 

Sesame shrimp with salad.

 

Easy enough right? He starts of with a salad. At least there’s other ingredients with it. More of the leafy vegetables than the actual shrimp itself.

 

“Do you have your meds?” Hyungwon asks, he sits across Kihyun with his own bowl of shrimp salad

“Yeah” he holds up his bottle of meds to show his roommate as proof

“Okay let’s dig in” Hyungwon says as he gets the shrimp first thing from his bowl and Kihyun does the same.

“Oh this is nice. The shrimp is cooked just perfectly” Hyungwon compliments his roommates cooking

“Thanks. The texture is weird.. are all shrimp like this? It’s not like chicken at all” Kihyun says as he stuffs the leafy vegetable into his mouth as well.

“Of course it’s not like chicken at all, you dumbass. So far so good? Nothing itchy or something?” Hyungwon was still skeptical of this whole plan. He thinks it’s ridiculous to be honest but he knows Kihyun will still insist to do it whether he liked it or not.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay so far. I don’t think it’s gonna kick in that-” Kihyun tries to explain but he was already scratching his lips. It feels so itchy and hot and oh no, t’s starting already. He immediately grabs his medication and drinks some water. He looks at his bowl. He only ate 4 pieces of shrimp. 4 until his mouth started reacting.

“Oh god are you okay?!” Hyungwon was in panic

“Yeah. Yeah I’m okay. My lips are itchy that’s all I just need to wait for the medication to kick in.” Kihyun says as he lies down and rests.

“I still think the internet is lying” Hyungwon says

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just the 1st day, I can do this” Kihyun says with a stubborn pout on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

Day 2

 

He gets a text from Shownu. That they will be having this seafood dinner date Friday night.

 

 _ _2 days to go..__ He looks at his calendar and folds his sleeves up and starts cooking.

 

Pan-seared scallops with some mayonnaise that has cilantro and celery in it paired with a plain bowl of rice.

Maybe the rice will help overpower the scallops.

 

“That smells good” Hyungwon comes into the kitchen and sits at the table.

“Scallops for today” Kihyun says as he continues to cook their experimental meal today.

“Ooh I love scallops. Let me have it!” Hyungwon sounds enthusiastic and it makes Kihyun smile, at least one of them is actually enjoying this experiment.

He places the scallops with some of the mayonnaise on a plate with 2 bowls of rice.

“Thank you for the food” Hyungwon says

“Here we go~ 2 days left” Kihyun slices the scallop in half and eats it

“2 days?” Hyungwon questions

“Yeah. Shownu-hyung texted me today and said we’d be eating at his so-called best seafood restaurant on Friday night. So yeah, 2 days” Kihyun continues eating but drinks a lot of water at the same time, hoping it flush out his allergies or something.

“2 days.. isn’t that too soon? Your body won’t adapt that well that fast” Hyungwon objects

“I don’t have a choice. Hey this texture is definitely better than shrimp. I like it better” Kihyun tries to changes the topic

“How dare you insult shrimp in front of me! Scallop is good but it will never be like shrimp!” and they both have a laugh at this.

“Uh fuck I can feel my lips itching again” he takes his medicine again and lies down on the couch.

“You ate like 2 tiny pieces of scallops. I don’t think this will work.. like at all Kihyun, this is too risky” Hyungwon was thinking about all the risk this involved now.

“I’m fine. This is a lot better than with the shrimp. I swear. I think I can do this if I just eat a little bit and drink a lot of water” Kihyun argues back once again

 

* * *

 

Day 3

 

Crispy Potato cakes with Smoked Salmon.

 

Well not smoked, but oven baked at least? And maybe this will have lesser effect since it’s mixed in with a bunch of potatoes.

 

“Hyungwon-ah! Dinner is ready!” Kihyun calls out

The taller rubs his eyes like he was just woken up from a nap and stares blankly while Kihyun places the food in front of them.

Hyungwon takes a big bite and his eyes go wide.

“YAH! Yoo Kihyun! This tastes amazing!”

Kihyun chuckles “Thanks. I’m glad to hear that”

“Oh and I also took the medicine before I started eating. Maybe it will kick in faster and the allergies won’t happen at all”

“Kihyun, I don’t think it works that way” Hyungwon protests

“Oh shush, I’m almost done with my food now and I’m still feeling fine”

“If you say so…” Hyungwon is tired of arguing with his roommate at this point

 

They finish eating and Hyungwon retreats back in his room but he hears Kihyun shout out loud and he comes back running in the kitchen.

 

“What’s wrong?!” Hyungwon shouts

“Fuck! It’s didn’t work, I still need to drink medicine after!” Kihyun exclaims

“It doesn’t look that swollen though”

“It’s still itchy, I think taking the pills before helps it swell less”

“Kihyun, I’m getting worried here”

“I’ll be fine. I just need to buy more medicine”

Hyungwon can only sigh in defeat as he watches his roommate lie down again for the nth time to rest

 

* * *

 

 

D-Day

 

“Oh no! Chae Hyungwon!” Kihyun shouts from their shared room

Hyungwon sees Kihyun rummaging through his closet and clothes are scattered everywhere.

“I need you to help me pick out clothes! I was so busy with cooking I forgot to plan what to wear!” Kihyun screamed in panic

“Calm down. Here. Wear this and this” Hyungwon grabbed a white and blue striped polo and some black skinny jeans and handed it over to Kihyun.

Kihyun immediately wears it and asks “Is this okay?”

“Yes you look great. I bet Shownu-hyung will have heart eyes for you” Hyungwon jokes but he gets slapped on the arm for it.

Kihyun stands in front of their mirror and fixes his hair and adds some light make-up to look a bit fresher.

“What do you think?” Kihyun turns around facing Hyungwon

“I think this is a bad idea and you should just tell him you’re allergic and eat somewhere else” Hyungwon was dead serious

Kihyun only scoffs “I’m gonna be okay, what’s the worse that could happen?”

 

* * *

 

And the worse does happen.

Kihyun grabbed the wrong coat, he grabbed Hyungwon’s coat instead of his when he rushed out to ride the train to the restaurant. His medicine was in his coat that he was suppose to wear. He only realized he got the wrong coat when he already got off the train.

 

__Deep sighs Kihyun, you can do this. Maybe god will give you just this one. One day where your allergies won’t react. I already took one pill this afternoon maybe that could hold me together._ _

__

He was so busy trying to calm himself that he didn’t realize that Shownu was already approaching him.

 

“Hey Kihyun!” Shownu says and Kihyun jumps at his mini heart attack

“Whoa, you okay there?” Shownu asks

“Y-yeah. Just peachy. Should we go?” Kihyun tries to be casual but holy fuck his heart was already racing. How the hell will he survive this night when it’s just starting?!

“Okay let’s go then~” Shownu smiles at him and walks forward

 

“Why don’t you like seafood?” Shownu starts off

“Uhh.. I just.. don’t I guess?” Kihyun lied, __it’s because I’m allergic to it so yeah fuck seafood__

 _ _“__ That’s too bad. You’re missing out a lot. I promise you this restaurant has one of the best seafood I have ever tried!” Shownu was so excited to share this with Kihyun. If he can change the smaller’s mind regarding seafood even just a little bit then he’d be happy.

“Well then I’m excited to try it” Kihyun tries to put his best smile on his face even though his palms are already sweating from the nerves.

 

* * *

 

The restaurant was very casual. There were some people eating too. Couples, families, and friends. They were seated at a little booth at the corner. Shownu orders for them both giving that he knows what is best on the menu. Kihyun silently prays to survive this night. His heart still hasn’t calm down. So either his heart will kill him or his allergies will but at least his last memory is with Shownu.

 

“You look great by the way” Kihyun snaps out of it and looks up to Shownu

“Oh uh, thank you. You don’t look bad yourself” Kihyun replies

Shownu chuckles and Kihyun swears he will give anything, ANYTHING to give this man all the happiness in the world.

“I’m glad you accepted my offer to go here. I mean, we don’t really spend time together. I mean- as just the two of us.. so uhh…” Shownu scratches the back of his neck shyly

“I’m happy you did. I’ve always wanted to” Kihyun replies sincerely

“OH! I mean I’ve always wanted to try seafood! That’s what I mean ahahaha…” He tried to explain himself but he knew he just looked like a fool

“Then I’m honored you’re trying this with me then~” Shownu says

and both of them just silently smiles at one another. Kihyun’s ears are red, he knows it, he feels how hot they are. But he sees Shownu’s ears are red as well. Maybe Shownu does like him as well. Does he?!!

 

Silence was broken when the waitress placed their food on the table and Kihyun wanted to faint right at that moment.

Seafood soup.. literally has clams, shirmp, fish, and all kinds of vegetables.

Oh god.. this is literally too much seafood all at once. He’s doomed.

 

Shownu puts in their portions in 2 bowls. One for them each.

He expectantly looks at Kihyun first and gestures for him to try it.

Kihyun picks up the spoon and takes a fish and soup. He puts it in his mouth and closes his eyes.

 

“Whoa.. This is amazing” Kihyun was really surprised, the soup was so rich in flavor and the fish was soft and cooked perfectly.

“Right?! I told you it’s good!”

“This is more than good. This is just.. really… wow!” Kihyun eats more

Hyunwoo chuckles and starts eating as well.

They converse a little but until Kihyun starts scratching his lips and face.

“You alright Kihyun-ah?”

“Yeah just feeling a little hot” Kihyun unbuttons one of his buttons and breathes in deeply.

“Kihyun, your face is red” Shownu says with worry in his voice

“It’s just the soup, it’s making me hot” Kihyun tries to dismiss it

“No like you’re really red and you’re swelling…”

“I’m ok-” Kihyun gets dizzier by the second and falls sideways to the booth’s cushion. His vision is getting darker and all he hears was Shownu calling his name in panic.

 

* * *

 

White.

Why was the ceiling white? Last time he remembers their dorms had light gray color.

He tries to get up only to feel a headache.

 

“Kihyun, you’re awake”

That was not Hyungwon’s voice.. and this wasn’t their dorm.

He turns his head to see Shownu looking at him worriedly.

 _ _What kind of dream is this?__    _It better be a damn dream_

 

“What happened?” Kihyun’s voice was hoarse

“You fainted from your allergic reaction” Shownu replies

 

Oh right.. He was eating dinner with Shownu. They were eating seafood soup.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were allergic?” Shownu felt like this whole thing was his fault. Kihyun is in a hospital because of him.

Kihyun takes a deep breath and looks up to the ceiling, he can’t look at Shownu, he feels so embarrassed that this happened.

“Because.. I wanted to eat dinner with you, I couldn’t deny your offer. You sounded so excited about eating seafood and I couldn’t reject that..” Kihyun wanted the ground to just swallow him whole now.

“But you were allergic. You could’ve died! Oh god I almost killed you-”

“No! This is entirely my fault. I knew I was allergic and I still went on and agreed to go with you!”

“But why?!”

“BECAUSE I LIKE YOU HYUNG!”

 

Kihyun’s eyes were wide open and Shownu was shocked as well.

__Now you’ve done it Kihyun, you’ve managed to embarass yourself even more than you already did. Good job!_ _

__

Kihyun lies back down and faces the other way in shame. He closes his eyes and wishes that this all was just a bad dream.

 

“Kihyun-ah” Shownu breaks the silence

“You don’t have to say it. I know what I did was stupid” Kihyun replies but he doesn’t dare face him

“Yes it was” Shownu only agrees

“and I know what I said is ridiculous because you don’t feel the same and that’s okay I get it” Kihyun could feel tears starting to form in his eyes

“Who says I don’t like you?” Shownu stands and walks around the bed to where Kihyun was facing

 

“Kihyunnie, I like you too” Shownu chuckles

And Kihyun just stares in disbelief

“Are you sure?? Like you don’t have to feel responsible because of this whole thing, you don’t have to pity me or anything” Kihyun still doesn’t believe what he heard was true

“Of course I’m sure. I have for the longest time now”

 

Kihyun covered his face with a pillow and screamed

“Oh no. You saw me all swollen and red because of my allergic reaction. This is just- so- please forget about it! My image is ruined!!”

 

Shownu pulls off the pillow and smiles at how cute Kihyun is.

“That’s not true, well it wasn’t a pretty sight but only because I know you were in pain. I love your chubby cheeks” he says as he pokes Kihyun’s cheeks which are red as a tomato right now

 

“Still! Still! Please forget about it! Ahh!” Kihyun keeps on repeating the same thing while Shownu just laughs and keeps poking his cheeks

 

* * *

 

“I told you this was dangerous! I told you you were going to die!” Hyungwon was full on scolding him now. He hasn’t imagined that this day would come at all, usually it was the other way around.

“I’m fine now”

“But you could’ve died?!”

“But I didn’t!”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes. “Did you at least have a good time?”

Kihyun smirks “Well I mean if having a boyfriend now means I had a good time then…”

“Holy shit! You’re not kidding?!”

Kihyun smiles and shakes his head.

 

“God! Thank you god finally! I can be at peace now that these two idiots will stop being idiots!!!!” Hyungwon has hands clasped and was looking up as if God gave him 1 million dollars

 

* * *

 

“So how do we do this now?” Kihyun was pouting.. again..

“What do you mean?” Shownu didn’t like seeing his boyfriend upset

“How will we eat? You like seafood.. I like chicken.. We can’t eat at that place you like, they don’t serve anything other than seafood” Kihyun was serious and wrinkles were starting to form on his forehead.

Shownu was shaking his head and kissed Kihyun’s forehead and rubbed the wrinkles away with his thumb.

“Don’t be silly. It’s just a restaurant. There are lots of restaurants that serve seafood and chicken.. and pork.. and beef.. and lamb”

 

Kihyun thinks he’s the luckiest guy in the world. His boyfriend is literally the most understanding and caring person in the world.

 

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Kihyun says with a smirk and a raised eyebrow

“Yes. Yoo Kihyun, please go on a date with me, every week, until we find our paradise. A paradise that has the best chicken and good seafood” Now Shownu was just being dramatic and silly but Kihyun loved it

“And what if we don’t?”

“I don’t care, I’ll eat anything. I’ll eat chicken with you as much as I can”

“You really are the love of my life!” Kihyun exclaims and tackles Shownu into a hug and they burst into a giggle while cuddling each other

 

**Author's Note:**

> -Please do not try this to overcome your allergy, I'm not a doctor!!!  
> -Kihyun isn't really allergic to seafood irl, he just doesn't like the smell of fish  
> -I started writing this at 12am and its now 3am so I'm sorry its crappy because I haven't written for so long wow t_t  
> -thank you for reading and leave a comment if you like ^^


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